1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an air conditioner for a vehicle, and more particularly, to an air conditioner for a vehicle, which includes: a plate member slidably operating inside an air-conditioning case to control the degree of opening of air outflow ports or air passageways inside the air-conditioning case; a gear shaft for operating the plate member, and separation preventing means formed on lateral edge portions of the plate member interlocking with the gear shaft.
2. Background Art
In general, an air conditioner for a vehicle is a car part, which is installed in a vehicle for the purpose of cooling or heating the interior of the vehicle in the summer season or the winter season or removing frost from a windshield in the rainy season or the winter season to thereby secure a driver's front and rear visual fields. Such an air conditioner typically includes a heating device and a cooling device together, so that it can heat, cool or ventilate the interior of the vehicle through the steps of selectively introducing the inside air or the outside air into the air conditioner, heating or cooling the introduced air, and blowing the heated or cooled air into the vehicle.
According to mounted structures of a blower unit, an evaporator unit and a heater core unit, such an air conditioner is classified into a three-piece type air conditioner where the blower unit, the evaporator unit, and the heater core unit are disposed independently, a semi-center type air conditioner where the evaporator unit and the heater core unit are embedded in an air-conditioning case and the blower unit is mounted separately, and a center-mounting type air conditioner where the three units are all embedded in the air-conditioning case.
Recently, an independent type air conditioner, which separately and independently provides air of different temperatures to a driver's seat and to a passenger's seat inside the vehicle to thereby individually heat and cool the seats according to the driver's or the passenger's need, has been disclosed.
FIG. 1 illustrates the semi-center type air conditioner. In FIG. 1, the air conditioner 1 includes; an air-conditioning case 10 having an air inflow port 11 formed on an inlet thereof and a defrost vent 12a, a face vent 12b and floor vents 12c and 12d mounted on an outlet thereof in such a way as to be adjusted in degree of openings by mode doors 16; a blower (not shown) connected to the air inflow port 11 of the air-conditioning case 10 for sending inside air or outside air; an evaporator 2 and a heater core 3 that are mounted on air passageways in the air-conditioning case 10; and a temperature-adjusting door 15 mounted between the evaporator 2 and the heater core 3 for adjusting the degree of opening of a cold air-passageway P1, which bypasses the heater core 3, and a warm air passageway P2, which passes through the heater core 3.
Furthermore, the floor vents 12c and 12d are divided into a floor vent 12c for a front seat and a floor vent 12d for a rear seat.
Moreover, the temperature-adjusting door 15 and the mode doors 16 respectively include rotary shafts 15b and 16b rotatably mounted on both side walls of the air-conditioning case 10 and plates 15a and 16a formed at one side of the rotary shafts 15b and 16b. In this instance, for the mode door 16, a center pivot door having the plates 16a formed at both sides of the rotary shaft 16b may be used.
The temperature-adjusting door 15 and the mode doors 16 are respectively connected to a cam (not shown) or a lever (not shown), which is actuated by an actuator (not shown) mounted on an outer surface of the air-conditioning case 10, and rotatably operated to thereby adjust the degree of opening of the cold and warm air passageways P1 and 92 or open or close the vents 12a to 12d. 
In addition, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the temperature-adjusting door 15 and the mode doors 16 further include sealing members 15c and 16c attached to the edges of the plates 15a and 16a. The sealing members 15c and 16c are in close contact with the air-conditioning case 10 to improve sealability when the doors 15 and 16 close the corresponding passageways.
According to the air conditioner 1 having the above structure, in the case of the greatest cooling mode, the temperature-adjusting door 15 opens the cold air passageway P1 and closes the warm air passageway P2. Accordingly, the air blown by a blower (not shown) is converted into cold air by heat-exchanging with refrigerant flowing inside the evaporator 2 while passing through the evaporator 2, and then, flows toward a mixing chamber (MC) through the cold air passageway P1. After that, the converted air is discharged to the inside of the vehicle through the vents 12a to 12d opened by a predetermined air-conditioning mode, whereby the inside of the vehicle is cooled.
Moreover, in the case of the greatest heating mode, the temperature-adjusting door 15 closes the cold air passageway P1 and opens the warm air passageway P2. Accordingly, the air blown by the blower (not shown) passes through the evaporator 2, is converted into warm air by heat-exchanging with cooling water flowing inside the heater core 3 while passing through the heater core 3 through the warm air passageway P2, and then, flows toward the mixing chamber (MC). After that, the converted air is discharged to the inside of a vehicle through the vents 12a to 12d opened by the predetermined air-conditioning mode, whereby the inside of the vehicle is heated.
In the meantime, in the case, of not the greatest cooling mode but a half cooling mode, the temperature-adjusting door 15 is rotated to a neutral position, and opens ail of the cold air passageway P1 and the warm air passageway P2 relative to the mixing chamber (MC). Accordingly, the cold air passing through the evaporator 2 and the warm air passing through the heater core 3 flow toward the mixing chamber (MC) and are mixed with each other, and then, are discharged to the inside of the vehicle through the vents 12a to 12d opened by the predetermined air-conditioning mode.
As shown in FIG. 2, the temperature-adjusting door 15 has a sealing member 15c to increase sealability, but has a problem in that it generates a bad smell because of inhabitation of molds on the sealing member 15c. 
Furthermore, since the sealing member 165c mounted on the temperature-adjusting door 15 is very expensive and requires much time to mount it to the mode temperature-adjusting door 15, the manufacturing price is increased.
Moreover, since the plate 15a of the temperature-adjusting door 15 has a predetermined thickness to allow mounting of the sealing member 15c, the temperature-adjusting door 15 is very heavy and needs great material costs by weight.
In addition, the temperature-adjusting door 15 has another problem in that the size of the air conditioner is increased because the temperature-adjusting door 15 must secure a predetermined turning radius in order to be operated.